James 1
1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, sends words of love to the twelve tribes of the Jews living in all parts of the earth.
Santiago siervo de Dios y del Señor Jesu Cristo, a las doce tribus que están en la dispersión, salud.
2 Let it be all joy to you, my brothers, when you undergo tests of every sort;
Hermanos míos, tenéd por todo gozo cuando cayereis en diversas tribulaciones:
3 Because you have the knowledge that the testing of your faith gives you the power of going on in hope;
Sabiendo que la prueba de vuestra fe obra paciencia.
4 But let this power have its full effect, so that you may be made complete, needing nothing.
Mas tenga la paciencia su obra perfecta, para que seáis perfectos y cabales, sin faltar en alguna cosa.
5 But if any man among you is without wisdom, let him make his request to God, who gives freely to all without an unkind word, and it will be given to him.
Y si alguno de vosotros tiene falta de sabiduría, demánde la a Dios, (el cual da a todos dadivosamente, y no zahiere, ) y serle ha dada.
6 Let him make his request in faith, doubting nothing; for he who has doubt in his heart is like the waves of the sea, which are troubled by the driving of the wind.
Empero demande en fe, no dudando nada; porque el que duda, es semejante a la onda de la mar, que es movida del viento, y es echada de una parte a otra.
7 Let it not seem to such a man that he will get anything from the Lord;
No piense pues el tal hombre que recibirá cosa alguna del Señor.
8 For there is a division in his mind, and he is uncertain in all his ways.
El hombre de doblado ánimo, es inconstante en todos sus caminos.
9 But let the brother of low position be glad that he is lifted up;
Además, el hermano que es de humilde condición, gloríese en su ensalzamiento;
10 But the man of wealth, that he is made low; because like the flower of the grass he will come to his end.
Mas el que es rico, en su humillación; porque él se pasará como la flor de la yerba:
11 For when the sun comes up with its burning heat, the grass gets dry and the grace of its form is gone with the falling flower; so the man of wealth comes to nothing in his ways.
Que salido el sol con ardor, la yerba se secó, y su flor se cayó, y su hermosa apariencia pereció: así también se marchitará el rico en sus caminos.
12 There is a blessing on the man who undergoes testing; because, if he has God's approval, he will be given the crown of life, which the Lord has said he will give to those who have love for him.
Bienaventurado el varón que sufre tentación; porque después que fuere probado, recibirá la corona de vida, que Dios ha prometido a los que le aman.
13 Let no man say when he is tested, I am tested by God; for it is not possible for God to be tested by evil, and he himself puts no man to such a test:
Cuando alguno es tentado, no diga, que Dios me tienta; porque Dios no puede ser tentado por el mal, ni él tienta a alguno:
14 But every man is tested when he is turned out of the right way by the attraction of his desire.
Sino que cada uno es tentado, cuando de su propia concupiscencia es atraído, y cebado.
15 Then when its time comes, desire gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is of full growth, gives birth to death.
Y la concupiscencia después que ha concebido, pare al pecado: y el pecado, siendo cumplido, engendra muerte.
16 Do not be turned from the right way, dear brothers.
Hermanos míos muy amados, no erréis.
17 Every good and true thing is given to us from heaven, coming from the Father of lights, with whom there is no change or any shade made by turning.
Toda buena dádiva, y todo don perfecto es de lo alto, que desciende del Padre de las lumbres, en el cual no hay mudanza, ni sombra de variación.
18 Of his purpose he gave us being, by his true word, so that we might be, in a sense, the first-fruits of all the things which he had made.
El de su propia voluntad nos ha engendrado por la palabra de verdad, para que seamos como primicias de sus criaturas.
19 You have knowledge of this, dear brothers. But let every man be quick in hearing, slow in words, slow to get angry;
Así que, hermanos míos muy amados, todo hombre sea pronto para oír, tardío para hablar, tardío para airarse;
20 For the righteousness of God does not come about by the wrath of man.
Porque la ira del hombre no obra la justicia de Dios.
21 For this reason, putting away all dirty behaviour and the overweight of evil, take into your souls without pride the word which, being planted there, is able to give you salvation.
Por lo cual dejando toda inmundicia, y superfluidad de malicia, recibíd con mansedumbre la palabra injerida en vosotros, la cual puede hacer salvas vuestras almas.
22 But be doers of the word, and not only hearers of it, blinding yourselves with false ideas.
Mas sed hacedores de la palabra, y no tan solamente oidores, engañándoos a vosotros mismos.
23 Because if any man is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man looking at his natural face in a glass;
Porque si alguno oye la palabra, y no la pone por obra, este tal es semejante al hombre que considera en un espejo su rostro natural:
24 For after looking at himself he goes away, and in a short time he has no memory of what he was like.
Porque él se consideró a sí mismo, y se fue; y luego se olvidó qué tal era.
25 But he who goes on looking into the true law which makes him free, being not a hearer without memory but a doer putting it into effect, this man will have a blessing on his acts.
Mas el que hubiere mirado atentamente en la ley perfecta que es la de la libertad, y hubiere perseverado en ella, no siendo oidor olvidadizo, sino hacedor de la obra, este tal será bienaventurado en su hecho.
26 If a man seems to have religion and has no control over his tongue but lets himself be tricked by what is false, this man's religion is of no value.
Si alguno de entre vosotros piensa ser religioso, y no refrena su lengua, sino que engaña su propio corazón, la religión del tal es vana.
27 The religion which is holy and free from evil in the eyes of our God and Father is this: to take care of children who have no fathers and of widows who are in trouble, and to keep oneself untouched by the world.
La religión pura y sin mácula delante de Dios y Padre es esta: Visitar los huérfanos y las viudas en sus tribulaciones, y guardarse sin mancha del mundo.
